It shouldn’t be surprising that the Xbox 360, Microsoft’s nearly twenty-year-old console, faces reduced services. The console itself still works perfectly fine but many of the servers that service its titles have already gone away. The next to depart is the digital storefront.
That’s set to happen on 29 July 2024 but before it does, Microsoft is giving Xbox 360 owners one last shot at some impressively cheap games. If you somehow haven’t had a crack at some of these titles, there are a few weeks left to do so. Some titles are so cheap that you could add eight titles to your download list for less than a hundred bucks.
Of course, not everything is available in the local store (or worth playing). These are the ones you should check out. There are some terms and conditions, too. For instance, these purchases are only valid for the Xbox 360. If you’re after a Backward Compatible title, you can expect to pay more for access to the game on modern consoles.
Xbox 360 bargains
Dead Island Riptide – R7.50
No, that’s not a typo. You can get a whole Dead Island game for less than ten bucks. This is true of several games in this closeout sale so try to keep your astonishment in check. Riptide will see you hauling your chosen avatar around a zombie-infested island, attempting to discover what the heck happened to your island paradise. Expect breakable weapons, crafting, and some slightly janky (but still fun) gameplay.
Homefront – R5.00
Five bucks for a first-person shooter? You should definitely play this one, especially since it was designed from the ground up as a single-player experience. The premise is that North Korea has attacked America and, somehow, managed to occupy your part of the country. It’s up to you to take back control from the brutal occupying regime using the power of American exceptionalism and a few gadgets that were somehow not available when the invasion happened. Seriously, though, it’s an excellent shooter.
Metro 2033 – R7.50
If you still haven’t played this excellent FPS based on the Russian novel of the same name, you should get around to that. It’s not likely to get any cheaper than this either. The apocalypse has come, survival is a question of probing hazardous wastelands that exist outside of the Moscow subway system, and there’s something… else out there. And also extra fascism in there with all the humans. While you’re at it, pick up the sequel — Metro: Last Light — for just ten bucks.
The Evil Within – R30.00
Should you play The Evil Within, a relatively new (but now sadly defunct) IP from Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil fame? You should. You absolutely should. Just bear in mind that, as with most of these titles, all the DLC is still full-priced. Still, there’s plenty of survival horror goodness to get started with, though you’ll also need to buy the DLC before the 29 July shutdown date.
Devil May Cry – R25.00 (each)
All of the Devil May Cry titles, from the first to the fourth and the underappreciated reboot, are on special at the moment. Each will set you back just 25 bucks, letting you fill any gaps in your collection. The HD Collection comprises the first three games, Devil May Cry 4 is (obviously) the fourth title in the series, while DMC: Devil May Cry is a surprisingly good take on the series without the stodgy loading times but also minus the classic Dante design. Some folks just aren’t happy with awesome.
Remember Me – R25.00
Dontnod Entertainment’s debut game launched on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. A gorgeous (and underappreciated) cyberpunk title with a strange gameplay mechanic and a wholly customisable combo system, it puts players in command of Nilin, a memory hunter capable of hacking (and editing) memories. The story is deeper than you’d expect, combat is… a lot to get used to but ultimately rewarding, while the game is unlike anything else you’ve played. But it’s also a third-person action-adventure, so there’s enough familiarity to keep you happy.
Skyrim – R38.00
What? You haven’t played Skyrim yet? The open-world Bethesda title that has seen release eight bajillion times so far? You probably won’t get it new for less than 40 bucks anytime soon. This is the base version of the game, so it lacks the Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn expansions. You could add those DLC packs but that’ll cost you another R500. At that point, it makes more sense to buy literally any of the modern re-releases. But if you only have a 360 on hand…
And loads more
There are loads of other titles to pore over. Sadly, though, if it wasn’t previously available on the South African store, it won’t be available now. So no Burnout 3: Takedown for you. Aww…
But OG Xbox title Black (R10), whacky, dick-joke-filled skill shooter Bulletstorm (R25), Dead Rising 2 and its expansion (R25 and R17), Need for Speed: Most Wanted (not that one – R60), and Sniper: Ghost Warrior (R15) are among the titles available at a steep discount.
Just a brief tutorial for using the official Xbox list — swap out the highlighted ‘US’ (above) for a ‘za’ and it’ll dump you on the local store. If the title is available here, local pricing will turn up. Or it’ll tell you to sod off if it’s not. Stuff had issues buying the games via a web browser but sales and downloads work just fine through the Xbox 360 console itself.